And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 1 Kings 18:43 Success is certain when the Lord has promised it. Although you may have pleaded month after month without evidence of response, it is not possible that the Lord should be deaf when His people are serious about a matter that concerns His glory. The prophetContinue reading “When You Keep Getting a No”
Category Archives: Struggles
When You Don’t Realize How Beaten Down You Are
Last week discouragement found me. After several months of packing and selling a home in one state while buying one in another, helping my husband close our church plant, and then moving our family of seven into a new state, home, and church body, all the exhaustion caught up to me and I finally cameContinue reading “When You Don’t Realize How Beaten Down You Are”
The Gun Is Pointed the Wrong Way
When it comes to physical healing, often confusion reigns. To combat it, I’d like to point out five “laws” of suffering. These “laws” will do more to help the hurting and erase their confusion than perhaps anything else they could read. Yesterday, we looked at laws one through four. Today we’ll look at number five.Continue reading “The Gun Is Pointed the Wrong Way”
When You’re 18, Pregnant and Addicted
I was born in 1989 into a dysfunctional home in Glendale, Arizona. Alcohol and drug abuse had plagued our family for generations. My late father’s addictions earned him a revolving door in and out of prison. My mother got pregnant at 19 after running away from her own father’s abusive behavior. She raised me asContinue reading “When You’re 18, Pregnant and Addicted”
The Four Laws of Suffering
“Have you heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?” That question, found in a small booklet, has been asked and answered thousands—perhaps millions—of times in our generation. These “laws” have been used by God to introduce His plan of love and forgiveness to countless numbers of people who had no idea how to have a meaningfulContinue reading “The Four Laws of Suffering”
Making Your Way Through the Depths
They are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet. Jeremiah 49:23 We are unaware of what sorrow may be upon the sea at this moment. We are safe in our quiet room, but far away out to sea the hurricane may be cruelly seeking the lives of men. Imagine the bitter winds howling throughContinue reading “Making Your Way Through the Depths”
When a Little While Seems Like Forever
I own a book with hundreds of Bible promises. Promises to bless, prosper, comfort, deliver, and save. But there’s one promise they missed: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Jesus made that promise, and I’ve yet to see it fail. How can we find peace in troubled times? It’s a perennial question—notContinue reading “When a Little While Seems Like Forever”
Singing When In Pain
Few people have a sweeter and kinder spirit than Joni Eareckson Tada. Few people have suffered longer and more consistently than Joni Eareckson Tada. These two things—sweetness and suffering—do not necessarily go together, but by God’s grace they can and often do. They most certainly do in Joni’s life which is one of the reasonsContinue reading “Singing When In Pain”
Dealing Honestly with Pain
Dealing honestly, wisely, and compassionately with human pain is an integral part of our job description as followers of Jesus Christ. No one gets through this life unscathed. Everyone deals with pain and suffering at some level. If someone insists she hasn’t, she’s either lying, in denial, or has amnesia. And since God’s second mostContinue reading “Dealing Honestly with Pain”
Saved But Not Free
It was cold, the sky overcast and gray. The Ohio River flowed with frightening force, violently churning debris and mud from winter’s thaw and spring rain. I stood mesmerized by the swift current, careful to keep my footing on the steep, rocky shore. I was in Newburgh, Indiana, for my youngest daughter’s wedding. In the early afternoon,Continue reading “Saved But Not Free”
Intentional Faith 